The White Water Way
by frodoschick
Summary: The otter Shen Li is the only master of this difficult water Kung Fu. He has a young apprentice, but to be quite honest, she has a temper and a habit of attacking passer-by in the river. What will happen when the object of her latest training...is Tigress
1. Water Attack!

This came to my head randomly. I hope that you enjoy!

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Disclaimer- I own nothing. Duh...

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Dedication- To my imagination. It's fun!

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Tigress was meditating beside the river one day, breathing out her frustrations and tense shoulders by a quietly babbling river. She was almost completely relaxed and was about to enter the mental state, when she heard Po behind her. She stifled a groan. Not again! She was glad that he had become the Dragon Warrior and saved Peace Valley, but he could be so annoying! Always telling her he was her biggest fan, trying out made-up kung fu moves on her, following her like an over-grown puppy! She sighed, she had to get away. She couldn't let him bug her this time!

She silently got up and made her way to the river's edge. Should she just jump over? No, Po would be expecting that, and then he'd be so amazed that he'd have to try it himself and then he'd fall in and she'd end up rescuing him! No...she'd have to swim. She shivered at the thought. She hated water. She didn't mind non-moving lakes and such, but rivers...she shivered again. There was no help for it.

She slipped silently into the water, and started the journey across. She wanted to stay underwater, in order to go across silently. She submerged herself into the watery world. As she swam through the blues and greens, she concentrated on holding her breath. She was about a third of the way across when she felt a presence in the river. And it wasn't Po.

A flash of brown and she was attacked in the water! A barrage of blows to her stomach, chest and back! She tried to fight her mysterious attacker, but was unable to move with the grace that she normally controlled. The water made her movements sluggish and surreal. She was running out of air. She needed to get back to the surface. She felt the bottom of the river with her front paws, she grasped the rocky floor and blasted upwards. She exploded out of the water, only to crash back down moments later.

As she kept her head above the water, spitting and hacking, a brown head popped up right in front of her. Blazing green eyes stared at her. Suddenly she was air-borne again. She landed with a gasp on firm soil. She whirled back to the river, paws at the ready, eyes blazing with fury. Where was that brown head? Who dared attack her? Sinuous ripples started moving in mid-river, heading straight for her. A brown form shot from the water and hit her in the stomach. It then tried a series of punches and jabs, but now they were on Tigress's turf.

In a few seconds, her adversary sat down hard on the ground, massaging it's head. It was a young otter lass, wearing a light vest of purple embroidered with Chinese symbols of speed and water. She growled at Tigress.

"Save it." said Tigress. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, training?" the otter replied as if it were totally obvious, glaring at Tigress.

"Training what?"

"My attack in the water. I think I kicked your butt pretty darn well, cat!"

"Why you-!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What's goin' on?" shouted Po, crashing out of the jungle, a rice-cake in his right paw.

"Must you always be eating?" asked Tigress testily. Po nodded, rice bits falling off his lips. Tigress groaned then turned back to the Otter girl on the ground. But she was gone.

"Who on Earth was that?" asked Tigress, looking over the calm expanse of crystal clear water with cherry blossoms fallen from their trees. Not a ripple remained of the Otter lass.

* * *

Otter, for that was her name, cut through the water like a pike on a hunt. She was down-river in a matter of minutes. She slid from the water at her entry point, checking her surroundings to make sure that the tigress and panda hadn't followed her. She didn't smell them or feel their vibrations in the earth. She sighed with relief.

She suddenly did a back-flip twist, avoiding the staff that suddenly appeared from the bushes to her right. Her rudder-like tail parried the staff thrusts while she was in the air. She landed, doing a fast back-handed snatch that caught the staff between her wet paws. She twisted to the right, bringing the staff along with her. She stopped, to see if it had worked. Her opponent, however, continued the manuver, twisting to the right. Otter was thrown, landing hard and rolling until her back was flat against a cherry trunk.

She sighed in defeat as the staff landed, point down, next to her paw.

"I submit, Master." she said, eyes averted. The staff was removed and a paw just like hers was in front of her eyes. She grasped it and her Master, a hard old otter-tall, strong- helped her to her feet.

"That was a clever move, twisting like that." he said, leaning on his staff, his whiskers as white as snow, his eyes hard as flint yet sparkling with pride. "Too bad that you did not continue it, as I did."

"I have learned from my mistakes, Master. I hope not to disappoint you again." she said, bowing respectfully.

"I am not disappointed, my young apprentice. Merely wondering where you learned that move."

"A tigress performed it on me when we sparred." she replied, still in the bowed position.

"You sparred with a tigress? Where in Heaven's name was a tigress?"

"In the middle of the river, farther up-river." There was silence from her Master. "Sir?"

"You attacked Tigress in the middle of her weakness?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.

"Tigress? Of the Fierce Five? No, just some tigress in the middle of the river!"

"Was this near the Jade Palace?" he asked as quickly as one of his staff thrusts.

"Well, yes. It was. How did-?"

"You reckless young fool!" shouted her Master, suddenly going into attack mode. "That was the Tigress of the Fierce Five and now you are lucky to be alive! She could have killed you!"

"But she didn't!" protested Otter, dodging his blows and blocking his thrusts.

"If you sparred on land, then she spared you! You are a reckless young fool, Otter!" She was suddenly on all fours, the staff not an inch from her left ear.

"You will go to the Jade Palace and apologize to Tigress and to the Fierce Five. You will not take the route you know, you will go up the stairs of the Jade Palace, on your right foot-paw with this shell of water on your head. If even one drop spills..." he let his voice trail off. He turned and walked away, the shell of water already on her head. She sat up carefully, all too conscious of the fragility of the shell and how over-full it was. She slowly lifted it from her head and started bringing it towards her mouth.

"No using that trick!" shouted her Master, a cherry pit plonking off her nose. She groaned softly, then replaced the shell. She turned towards the beaten path in the middle of the forest. She would go the hard way, by land.

"All the way on your right foot-paw!" She sighed. Master didn't miss a single thing.

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"You want to what?" asked Tigress, staring at the strange sight before her. The otter lass was here, at the Jade Palace. Balancing on one foot-paw. With a shell of water of her head. She hadn't spilled a drop. Tigress had been watching her ever since she had stepped onto the footpath that led to the Jade Palace.

"I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I have no excuse for it." said the otter lass, eyes lowered with respect, but not a drop spilled from the shell. A projectile came out of no-where, heading straight for Otter. She ducked and weaved and the missle cleared. She glared at Tigress.

"Master Shen Li told me not to spill a single drop of water. And I won't, even if you engage in such childish acts! I said I was sorry, what more do you want?!"

"I'd duck if I were you." said Tigress, looking behind Otter.

"Why?" demanded Otter, still glaring at Tigress.

"Because Master Shifu is training the Dragon Warrior. That projectile was as almond cookie."

"What-?"

"GANG-WAY!" shouted Po, barreling through with a series of jumps and leaps. He and Master Shifu were a blur of jabs, blocks, strikes and counter-strikes. Po kept trying to get the cookie, Master Shifu constantly keeping it from him.

"Don't you want the cookie?" shouted Master Shifu, as Tigress and Otter watched, Otter completely hypnotized.

"Yes, I do!" replied Po, as he finally snatched the cookie from Master Shifu. He instantly ate it. "Mmmhph...Monkey sure has good taste in almond cookies."

"He should, he loves almonds." replied Master Shifu, eating an almond cookie of his own. "Ah, Tigress. Who is your...ah...friend?" He was obviously surprised to see Otter there, mouth hanging open, shell half-way full now, both foot-paws on the ground.

"This is the girl who attacked me in the river today. Apparently, she came to apologize." said Tigress, bowing to her mentor. Otter bowed, still very much in awe. She didn't pay attention to her shell, until it slipped and fell to the ground, spilling the rest of the water.

"Oh, dear..." she said, looking at the water all over the ground. "And he told me not to spill a single drop..."

"Who did?" asked Shifu, looking at the shell with interest.

"My master, Shen Li. He has taught me everything I know about water Kung Fu."

"Ah, Master of the White Water. He still teaches?" inquired Shifu. Otter remained bowed.

"Yes. He may be an old geezer, but he's really great! He is still as strong as he was." said Otter, obviously proud of her mentor. "He is the Master of the White Water Way, and he is teaching me. I still have a long way to go, but he is a great teacher."

"Hmmm." said Master Shifu, looking thoughtfully at Otter and Tigress. "Tigress?"

"Yes, Master?"

"What would you say to a rematch with this young otter?"

"What?! Master, she is no match for me on land and I am no match for her in the water. A rematch will not work."

"What if she stays in the water and you stay on the land, Tigress?"

"Then we will remain at a impasse."

"It's no problem if you don't want to face me, Tigress. I could kick your butt, in or out of the water!"

"Want to wager that?"

"A year's worth of teaching. Either style. Whoever wins learns the others style." interrupted Shifu.

"May the better style win!" shouted Otter, tossing her shell in the air and catching it.

"I can't wait." said Tigress with a ominous grin.

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Review and tell me if I should continue!


	2. Hotroot Soup

This came to my head randomly. I hope that you enjoy!

* * *

Disclaimer- I own nothing. Duh...

* * *

Dedication- To my imagination. It's fun!

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Night had fallen, a delicious oval of a moon in the sky, dotted with stars like diamonds. Otter had made it home sometime in the mid-afternoon, carrying the shell. She had placed the shell with her other training equipment and gone to her room. She had spent the rest of the afternoon reliving and rehashing the events of the day. She looked out at the moon as she rethought her actions at the river. Would she have done anything differently if she had known how the day would turn out? Absentmindedly, she ran her claws through the beads covering her window. They were bamboo beads that she bought at the village. She painted them in her favorite colors, purple, green and blue. They always calmed her, especially if she touched the jade beads scattered through-out. She gently touched one of the smooth green figures (birds, fish and dragons) but no soothing peace entered her mind. The swirling emotions at her core left her feeling inadequate and not as powerful as she thought she was.

She groaned, leaped off her mahogany bench and walked out into the sitting area of the five-room home that she shared with her Master in the forest, next to the river. A cherry tree grew outside, it's branches covering the roof and doorway. And every summer, the roof was constantly hit by ripe cherries falling. It almost sounded like rain to her as she lay in her bed at night. Her master sat by the fire, stirring the pot with his wooden spoon.

Otter sniffed the air. "Water-shrimp and hotroot soup?!" she cried, leaping excitedly over to her master and sniffing the fragrant air loudly.

"Yes. I caught a few pawfuls of shrimp while training when you were at the Palace. Remember, Otter. Life is precious. Should you need to take it for sustenance, take no more than you need."

"I will remember that, Master." she replied, getting out the Oolong tea and two polished bowls of cherry wood. "Please tell me that it's almost done!"

"Almost young one." chuckled Shen Li, watching her bounce up and down on her footpaws. "Patience, child. Patience. It will be done soon."

"But I'm hungry!" she said, her bouncing growing more agitated. He laughed. How long had it been since life had that much energy? He was getting older, true. Life was slowing down. But he didn't fight it, as so many others did. It was simply nature's way, as was nature's way to make young otters so full of life, so bursting with energy. He was amazed that she still had that much energy left over from her walk, climb and battles of the day.

"Where does she get it all?" he said to himself, tossing in another handful of hotroot, remembering how much she loved the spices. "Are you going to tell me what happened at the Jade Palace, or do I have to guess?"

Otter went silent. Even her foot-paws stopped their thumping on the earthy floor.

"You did go to the Jade Palace didn't you?" he asked, spooning up a bit of the soup and sniffing it.

"Yes, Master." she said quietly.

"Then what happened?" He remained silent after that, to give her a chance to tell him for herself.

"Well...I saw Master Shifu training the Dragon Warrior. You'd think that for a fat panda he wouldn't move very well, but he's like greased lightning! Woosh, whoo, yeee!! He was all over the place! He actually was able to snatch a cookie from Master Shifu! And-"

"And you're stalling." Shen Li said, stirring the soup again.

"Master Shifu suggested that to settle our differences, Tigress and I have another match. The winner learns the other's fighting style for a year." There was silence as the flames flickered and the words hung on the air. "Master, I don't know what to do!" she suddenly exploded. "I haven't mastered the White Water Way yet! How could I possibly teach it to her?! And not only that, but she is a cat! She couldn't possibly feel water in her veins and rapids in her soul! She is a cat! Water is her enemy! How could she possibly learn White Water Way?!"

"Who says that she would be learning White Water Way?" asked Shen Li, taking the bowls from her flailing paws and filling them with soup. He also poured the Oolong tea.

"She will be. She is so much better than me. She's mastered her art of Kung Fu. I've barely dived below the surface of mine." replied Otter, spooning up some soup and sipping the rich broth. Her eyes lit up as the flavors rushed over her tongue and down her throat. "Oh, wow! It's so good! Did you add something? I taste something different."

He shook his head at her keeness. "I added one shoot of ramson."

"I thought I tasted something like that."

"About teaching the White Water Way, I believe that you can teach it. No matter what, you must fight to win. Did I teach you to have this defeatist attitude, Otter?"

"No sir!" said Otter, saluting with her spoon. A limp piece of onion dangled from her lips.

"Tomorrow I will teach you one new move. It's potency is strongest with the mastery of White Water Way, but alone it can still cause a great amount of damage. Now, eat some more soup and then go to sleep. You need your rest."

She nodded as she plucked a fat pink water-shrimp out of her soup and ate it, chasing it with a gulp of cooling Oolong tea. The fire flickered, the insects outside sang, birds twittered and Otter began to feel at peace inside.

It was much later, after sweet bean dumplings and stories that she finally made her way to her room, after bidding her Master a restful night. She smiled at her room, with it's plants and comfort. She fell on her bed, happy to be in the covers. Her belly was full, her spirits were calm. It was a good night to sleep, for sleep came early and fast. Her eyes closed as she watched her window beads sparkle with the moonlight. But as she slept, she dreamed. And her dreams were not as settling as the evening had been...

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_Her Dream...

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_

_She was a young river-pup again, in her parent's stream-bank home. With the white-washed walls and the indoor fire-pit. Her father was a fisher-otter and her mother wove cloth for the local merchants. They lived in the shadow of the Jade Palace, she went swimming every day. In her dream, everyone was home on a sunny afternoon. Her father played with her in the shallows while her mother chopped vegetables for supper on the lawn. They were all laughing and smiling. Then a shadow flew across the sun. _

_Thunderous noises came from the forest. Her father shooed her up on the bank, into her mother's arms. Her mother hurried her inside the house, ignoring her protests. Her father remained outside, facing the forest. Her mother tried to hush her, but as was the nature of all young otter cubs, she was too full of energy to waste it in the house. Somehow, she wriggled past her mother and dashed outside, thinking it all a great game._

_Her father stood there, on the bank. He wavered slightly, his eyes seemed out of focus._

_"Daddy!" she shouted joyfully, starting to run to him. He turned his head slightly, saw her. He smiled weakly, then fell to his knees. She slowed to a stop next to him. "Daddy?" He fell forward, never to rise again. "Daddy?!" Her shriek echoed all along the river banks._

_She heard a roar as something came leaping from the forest. She turned, looked, saw orange-red eyes narrowed with hate and anger, then her mother's familair tunic flashed in front of her. She dropped too, gasping for breath. _

_"Quickly, Blossom..." her mother murmured, through the pain. She wanted to touch her mother, reassure her. But...she was afraid to touch her mother... "Into the water. You are safe there."_

_The roar from behind her again. She wasted no time. She slid into the water and was gone to the rippling currents. The murder's roar was lost into the still sunny afternoon..._

* * *

She awoke, screaming. She shrieked for her parents, just like she had shrieked for them every night that first year. Shen Li flung her door open and crouched next to her. He pulled out his flute, playing a river shanty on it. She stopped her screaming and started her crying. Shen Li stopped his flute playing and held out his hands for her.

She latched onto him, sobbing. He was the only one that she could turn to at this time. He had found her that night, huddled in a cove, hugging herself and sobbing. He had found her parent's murderer and made sure for her that he was in jail. He took care of her, teaching her the White Water Way when she showed interest.

She was able to block her memories, but they always surfaced in dreams...

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If anyone is wondering what ramson is, it's a type of wild garlic.


	3. The Sacred Waterfall of Redemption

This came to my head randomly. I hope that you enjoy!

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Disclaimer- I own nothing. Duh...

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Dedication- To my imagination. It's fun!

* * *

Otter sat on the river-bank the next morning, all traces of nightmares passed away. Shen Li stood in the New Moon position in the river, on a flat rock in the middle of the currents. Otter sighed slightly.

"Master, what are you showing-"

"Never enter your Water State when your heart is full of rage. When you can control your emotions, when your blood is cool, is the best time for you to control your Water State. Otherwise, all will be chaos, such as rapids are out of control when they head for a waterfall. You will in no doubt, abuse the powers that the water has given you. If you abuse the water, you may never be able to control it again. I shall be teaching you the incantation for the Sacred Waterfall of Redemption in a few moments. Never use this move in your Water State. It's power will kill your opponent. You may use the motions when you are not in your Water State, it will still be powerful." Shen Li explained. "Now watch me..." he entoned.

Otter dutifully watched as Shen Li went to the Cresent Moon position. He closed his eyes, breathed in...and was suddenly twenty feet in the air, arms whirling, eyes glaring. He chanted in the ancient language.

"_Mighty river hear my plea,  
Come thou power to me,  
Mighty waters fast and strong,  
Come to me to right this wrong!  
_SACRED WATERFALL OF REDEMPTION!" His paws blazing with _chi_, he was heading straight for her! She screamed and ducked, throwing her paws up above her head, covering her ears. There was a thunderous crash and all was silent. Otter remained on the ground, quivering. A few more seconds passed. She cracked an eye open, gazing about her.

Shen Li stood in front of her, looking down on her huddled form in bemusement. "Are you going to get up?" he chuckled. Otter looked about, wondering what had been his target.

An old dead trump trunk had been sticking out of the ground next to her. It had been an oak tree, and now it's trunk was as hard as a rock from it's exposure to the elements. Shen Li's Waterfall of Redemption had split the ancient oak in half, a large gouge in the earth before it.

"Oh...wow..." she gasped, staring in total amazement. She looked eagerly up at Shen Li. "Can I try it?!"

"No." said Shen Li, shaking his head. Otter's mouth dropped open.

"Why?" she didn't mean to sound whiny, but she did.

"Your stamina, strength and amount of _chi_need to be built up, so you can use the Sacred Waterfall of Redemption and still be able to fight. It uses up an extraoridinary amount of c_hi_ and requires quite a bit of concentration. So far..." He chucked her chin fondly. "Your concentration is easily distracted."

"No it's not." she said, confused to what he meant. He smiled.

"We shall see." he said, pointing across the river with his cane. "Go get that small boulder," he said, pointing to a rock about the size of a small tree stump, "And carry it across the river to me."

She nodded, then dived into the river. She surveyed the river bottom. It was rather shallow, she should be able to walk across with the boulder. She might have to swim in one spot, but that wouldn't be a problem. She pulled herself out of the river, shaking the excess water off her paws. She gripped the boulder, it was almost too heavy, but she finally managed to lift it. She carried it into the river, carefully stepping into the river. Soft river mud encased her ankles, she softly pulled her feet out and out and out. She started to walk. She was about half-way, almost to the point where she would need to swim, when Shen Li looked behind her.

"Oh, look. Tigress."

"**_WHAT?!_**" she shouted, turning about forcefully, entangleing her feet in river-weed, mud and fell. The boulder fell into the middle of the river and she surfaced, spluttering.

"Concentration." said Shen Li, smiling at Otter. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Guess I have to work on that..."

* * *

Nearly a week later, Otter was able to carry the boulder all the way across the river while Shen Li was making a host of distracting noises and actions. She was almost distracted when Shen Li started talking about what they were to have for dinner that night. Hey, she was hungry!!

She set the boulder down next to Shen Li and pulled herself out of the river. Her muscles ached all over. "Can I try the Sacred Waterfall of Redemption now?" she asked, panting slightly.

"No. You are tired. You must rest right now. I've got a surprise for you." Shen Li responded, leading the way back to the house. She followed, silently agreeing with him. She was tired. She really wanted to sleep. When she entered the house, her nose was assailed by a familiar scent...

"MR. PING'S NOODLES!!" she shrieked with joy, seeing the two take-out containers. Shen Li chuckled as she attacked her shrimp with miso order. He took up his shrimp and water chestnuts. They ate together, talking and laughing.

She almost forgot about Tigress and the upcoming battle...almost.

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Thank you for reading! The next chapter is the battle, I promise!!


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